Please Open Up to Me
by rawrmobile
Summary: Alfred is shipped off to England to concentrate on his studies. He meets a punk, intelligent classmate named Arthur. Although their friendship starts out a little bit rocky, they warm up to each other.  How will this turn out? Rated T for language.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Alfred is shipped off to England to concentrate on his studies. He meets a punk, intelligent classmate named Arthur. Although their friendship starts out a little bit rocky, they warm up to each other. How will this turn out?

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><p><strong>Alfred's POV<strong>

I step off the plane, arriving in London. I look around, and at first I'm overwhelmed by the noise, smells, and all the British accents around me. I see my aunt waving at me holding a sign with _Alfred F. Jones_ written on it. I hurry towards her, and sweep her up in a bone-crushing hug.

"Aunt Elizabeth! I haven't seen you in a really long time! I've missed you!"

She squeaks, "Ah! Alfred, it's so nice to see you again! Although, I would feel a bit better if you stopped squeezing me so hard." I immediately release her, and she laughs. "Oh Alfred, it's been so long since I've seen you as well. You've grown so tall! I remember when you were only up to my knee." She hugs me, and then leads me through the crowd. "The cab is on the other side of the terminal. We'll take the cab over to my house and we'll get you settled in."

When we're in the cab, I ask Aunt Elizabeth, "So…which school will I go to?"

"I've decided on Sir John's Academy at Oxford. It's one of the best schools in Britain, and they have an excellent program there. I'm pretty sure that your parents would appreciate that."

I wince. "Yeah… they think that I spent too much time playing football, and that my grades suck balls. I guess that's why they shipped me here."

Aunt Elizabeth places a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Alfred, they love you very much, and the education in Britain is very good. To be willing to send their only son to Britain to concentrate on his studies is not an easy choice for them. Plus, think of this as an adventure! There's much to do here, and our history is very interesting. I'm sure you'll love it here."

I feel better with her reassuring words. I press my face against the window of the cab and watch the sky darken and start to pour buckets of rain. Aunt Elizabeth glances out the window, and pulls out two umbrellas. "Oh dear, I can tell it's going to get a bit wet outside".

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><p>When we finally arrive in front of her apartment, the rain has gotten so bad that the gutters are overflowing. My sneakers are drenched in the 10 second walk from the cab to the door.<p>

"Wow. This place seems smaller than I remember." I have the courtesy to take off my wet shoes before I wander around the house. Aunt Elizabeth laughs and steers me to the bathroom.

"You've grown so big, of course this place will seem smaller to you. Now, get yourself cleaned up, and I'll fix up some dinner for you."

At the prospect of food, I perk up. "Will there be hamburgers?"

"Unfortunately no, but I can make fish and chips, if that will make you feel better."

I deflate a little. "Okay. Thanks Aunt Elizabeth!"

"Oh please, call me Aunt Liz or Liz. Aunt Elizabeth is just too long to be saying all the time" Liz grins. I close the door behind me, and I hear her banging around in the kitchen.

As I sit down at the table, Liz hands me an envelope with "Sir John's Academy" stamped across it.

"This contains everything needed for your registry. I've filled out the necessary paperwork, but I'd like you to look over everything just in case I've missed something. They've also included an informational brochure, so it'd be nice if you looked over that as well." I read through all the paperwork, and the reality of the situation sinks down upon me. I feel a moment of panic, but it soon goes away as I think, _I'm a hero! Heroes don't get intimidated easily. I can do this!_

"Alfred?"

"Huh? Yeah, Liz?" I test the name. It sounds cool and modern, I guess.

"You just had a momentary spasm of panic show through your face. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah! I can totally handle this!"

"I know that you've just moved to Europe, and also left your friends and old life behind…"

"Really Liz, I'm fine. I can always keep in touch with them, and I'm sure I can make new friends here in Britain. Everything's gonna be alright 'cuz I'm that awesome!"

Liz chuckles. "I'm sure you'll do fine. You're the big friendly sort of type. You'll make friends easily." She continues, "You also start school tomorrow, and I've already got your uniform ready."

_Oh. That's why she wanted my measurements…_

"Do you want to see it?" She scrapes her chair back and rushes off into her room. She soon comes back with a cellophane wrapped package and hands it to me. I open it, and I see that it consists of a white dress shirt, with a burgundy and gold striped tie, a matching burgundy blazer, and khaki pants. Emblazoned on the breast pocket of the blazer is a coat of arms with some Latin written at the bottom. There's also a pair of shoes.

"The school colors are burgundy and gold and their motto is '_Knowledge is power_'. Try it on! I bet it'd look great on you." I carefully put the uniform on, trying not to mess up the creases. I need Liz's help in tying the tie and putting on the blazer, but when we're done and she steps back, Liz gives a little gasp, "You look absolutely amazing!" and snaps a picture with her camera. Sheepish, I turn my head away as she glances at the clock. "My God, is it 11 already? It's time for bed. You can leave your dishes here Alfred; I'll take care of them." Liz hustles me off to my bedroom, and closes the door behind me. I take off my uniform and carefully drape it over the closest chair.

"Goodnight Alfred, sweet dreams" She smiles, and closes the door. I lie awake on my bed for a while, thinking of the life I've left behind in America. My football buddies, my school, and my girlfriend Kristina. Come to think of it, I don't really miss her for some reason. This troubles me for a little bit. Shouldn't a boyfriend miss his girlfriend when he moves to another country in Europe, _across the Atlantic Ocean?_ I worry over this for a little bit, but then it makes my head hurt, so I fall asleep instead.

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><p><strong>Arthur's POV<strong>

_I HATE EVERYTHING._

_Everybody misunderstands me. Nobody understands me. That's fine, because I don't want to understand anybody either. They could all die in a hole for all I care. School and music are all that matter to me. I don't need anything else. I don't need real friends, or my family. Bloody fuck, I hate everything._

I slam down my pen and push my journal away. The counselor said that if I wrote down my feelings, I would be better at communicating with people. So far, it isn't working. I still feel angry inside as I did before. My mint bunny flies down and settles on the edge of my desk.

"_Arthur, why are you so angry?"_ Its voice is gentle and musical and reminds me of wind chimes blowing in the wind. I smile and pat its head.

"I don't know. People just piss me off for some reason, but you guys don't. I don't need people friends; I have my own friends right here."

"_You'll never leave us, right Arthur?"_

"I'll never leave you."

"OI ARTHUR, YOU TALKING TO YOUR IMAGINARY FRIENDS AGAIN?"

I swivel around in my chair. "GIT, GET AWAY FROM MY DOOR. IT'S NONE OF YOUR BLOODY FUCKING BUSINESS." A fit of laughter erupts outside my room.

"I swear he's gone bonkers. I always hear him talking to those imaginary friends of his. Maybe that's why he hasn't got any REAL friends of his" Again, the voices outside my door snigger, and my older brother continues, "Really. He keeps to that corner of his in the cafeteria, and doesn't even _bother_ looking at those girls sitting at the table next to him. I wonder what's wrong with him?"

"I bet it's those _hideous_ eyebrows of his. They're so big and furry; it looks like he has caterpillars growing on his face!"

Finally, I can't take it anymore. I fling open the door and scream in their faces "SOD OFF YOU BLOODY JERKS. GET AWAY FROM ME THIS INSTANT!"

One of my brothers snorts. "Oh belt up Artie, we're just playing with 'ya." I clench my fists, and I glare daggers at him. "Oh wait. I forgot you don't like being called Artie…_Artie_!" They all howl, and run off before I can punch them in their sorry faces. I storm back inside my room and slam the door. My mum's voice floats from the room next door.

"Arthur dear, please don't slam the door so hard…" I sigh, and walk over to her room. She's been bedridden ever since she got that damn cold of hers.

"Are you alright? Do you need more soup?" I tuck the bed sheets back under her chin, and she smiles sadly at me. "No, everything's alright. It's getting a bit late though. Have you finished all your homework?"

"I finished it at school."

"That's…good…" and my mum falls asleep once again. I walk out of the room and sit on my bed. I don't hate _everybody_ in my family, I hate _most_ of them. My dad left us when I was really little, and all my brothers ever do is torment me. Mum is bedridden with a cold, and can't do anything about it. I flop onto my bed and peek at the clock on my windowsill. It's 11, and school starts at 7 tomorrow, and the rain is still pouring outside. My mint bunny flies over to me, and curls up next to my face. Smiling, I stroke its back and fall asleep.

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><p>Author's note/

_My first fanfiction! I hope you like it ^^;;_

_Because it's my first fanfiction i've ever written, i'm not really expecting it to be good. So please review! Thanks!_

_I don't own Hetalia or it's respective characters. they belong to their creator Hidekaz Himaruya_ .


	2. The Term Begins!

**Alfred's POV**

I'm having this kickass dream about being a pilot of a flying hamburger in World War Two when all of a sudden I experience some serious turbulence. I shake it off and manage to land in the midst of a cheering crowd, their cheers ringing in my ears.

_Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, ALFRED F. JONES, our new war hero!_ The cheering multiplies and I flash the crowd my biggest, brightest smile.

_Alfred! Alfred!_

_Alfred! I love you! Will you marry me?_

However, the voice of God cuts through the cheering.

"_Alfred! Alfred F. Jones WAKE UP THIS INSTANT! IT'S 6:30! YOU'RE GOING TO BE LATE FOR SCHOOL!"_

School? Wait, what?

School! OHMAHGAWD I'M GOING TO BE LATE. I wake up with a start and fling myself off the bed. Liz is standing by the bed with a frazzled expression on her face.

"I've been trying to wake you up for the last 20 minutes! I even tried violently shaking your shoulder!" _Oh. That would explain the turbulence in my dream…_

"I've already got toast and milk out on the table for you. Hurry! School starts at 7!" I scramble around and yank on my uniform, then rush to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash up. When I get to the kitchen Liz is putting my toast in a baggie for me to eat in the cab, and hands me the milk. I gulp it down, and she straightens my tie and fixes my uniform. Frowning, she tries to slick down my rebellious strand of hair, but is unsuccessful. Finally, I'm ushered into the cab waiting impatiently by the door, and we zoom off to Sir John's Academy.

When I finally find my classroom it's 7:05 already, and the teacher isn't pleased at all.

"Ah. Mr. Jones, you've finally arrived. I must warn you, tardiness is not accepted here at all. See to it next time that this does not happen again." The teacher is pompous looking, with spectacles dangling at the end of his long nose, eyes that look down at you, and an expensive looking suit. I grin and salute him. "Sure thing, dude!"

He stiffens. "What. Did you just call me?"

"Um… I called you 'dude'?"

"Unacceptable! I am Professor Lambridge to you! Sit down this instant or I will have you marked for detention!" I hear snickers echo throughout the classroom. This seems to infuriate him more. "SILENCE! OR I WILL HAVE YOU ALL MARKED DOWN FOR DETENTION!" The snickering stops immediately. I see their amusement as a kind of encouragement, 'cause you know, back in America we do this all the time and that's how you become "cool".

"Um, so where do I sit?"

Professor Lambridge pinches the bridge of his abnormally long nose. "I have arranged your seats in alphabetical order. You will sit in the sit in the front of Arthur Kirkland." I saunter towards the seat and plop myself down confidently, and swing around to talk to the kid behind me.

"So! You're Arthur Kirkland right?" He looks up, and I can see that he has multiple piercings on his ears. Man, this guy looks so badass.

"Obviously." His voice is a little sarcastic, and I also note that he has a tongue piercing as well.

"DUDE. YOU HAVE A TONGUE PIERCING. THAT'S SO COOL!"

"MR. JONES. QUIET, IF YOU PLEASE!"

"Sorry!" I call out, and I hear more giggles in the classroom. Arthur lets out a soft groan.

"What was that?"

"What was what?" Arthur looks mildly annoyed.

"Dunno. Didn't you say something?"

"No, I did not."

A ruler slams down on my desk, and I yelp. Professor Lambridge is glaring down the length of his long nose at me. "Alfred Jones. Turn around. _NOW._"

"Alright, alright, keep your pants on." I turn around, and when Professor Lambridge has his back to me, I quickly turn back to Arthur.

"Hey, mind if I call you Artie?" Arthur glares at me.

"MR. JONES!"

"Sorry!" I call out, and I hear another groan from behind me.

"Hey. Did you say something?"

That gets me another groan.

* * *

><p><strong>Arthur's POV<strong>

Just like the start of any new term, I promptly wake up at 5:45, shower and wash up, dress in my uniform, make myself some breakfast, say goodbye to my mint bunny and fairy friends, and ride the Tube to school.

I arrive there half an hour early and I use that time to look through my schedule to make sure everything's in order. I catch my reflection in the trophy case and frown. _Ugh, my eyebrows really are too big…_ I've tried taming those wild beasts growing upon my face before, but I got ridiculed by my brothers and classmates for doing so. In the end, I just let them be. Anger starts to bubble up inside of me. _Stupid brothers…I hate them so much._

I glance back at my schedule. I have English first, with Professor Lambridge. I've had him before. Horrible man. He confiscated the bandanna i wore around my neck last year. I hate him.

The bell chimes, and my school mates and I wander off towards our classes, and I see that we're being arranged in alphabetical order. I notice that an _Alfred F. Jones_ sits in front of me. Funny, I don't think I've heard of him before. Looking at the clock, I notice it's 6:59, and we all take our seats. The bell chimes again promptly at 7, and Professor Lambridge begins his speech.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another term at Sir John's Academy. This is a top school designed to educate you so that you may go out into the world prepared for the obstacles that will surely be thrown in your way. Now, I would like you to know that I have several rules that I require you to follow. The first is tardiness…" I hear someone running down the hall and then the door slams open, startling all of us. A panting, bespectacled student saunters into the room as if he owned the place. He grins (charmingly) at Mr. Lambridge, who then reprimands him for his tardiness. He answers with an imprudent, "Sure thing, dude!" His accent and manner suggest he's American and I check the empty seat in front of me. All the other seats are filled, and I can only assume that this is Alfred Jones. I feel a wave of self-pity crash down upon me, and I bury my head into my arms. Distantly, I can hear Professor Lambridge scolding him yet again, and all around me I hear my school mates snickering like primary schoolchildren. Alfred then drops into his seat and whirls around to talk to me.

"So! You're Arthur Kirkland right?" I look up, and I notice that he has a brilliant, Oscar-winning smile, and that he also has a peculiar bit of hair sticking up.

"Obviously."

"DUDE. YOU HAVE A TONGUE PIERCING. THAT'S SO COOL!" I roll my eyes, and inwardly I feel sorry, oh so sorry, for myself. His excited outburst gains yet another reprimand from Professor Lambridge. He calls out an apology, and my classmates snicker yet again. I let out a soft groan.

"What was that?"

"What was what?" I'm getting more irritated by the second.

"Dunno. Didn't you say something?" Oh good Lord, his "English" is _atrocious_. I have half a mind to correct him, but I don't want to risk having Professor Lambridge giving me a detention; I have to work after school today. Instead, I give a short, terse reply.

"No, I did not."

Right after I reply, Professor Lambridge slams a ruler down on Alfred's desk, startling him to where he yelps like a little hurt puppy. Professor Lambridge looks as though he's going to lose it any second. Alfred is playing a dangerous game, toying with Lambridge like that. Alfred faces to the front, but as soon as Lambridge has his back to us, he turns around again.

"Hey, mind if I call you Artie?" I glare at him, anger swelling up inside of me. I _hate_ that nickname. I see Professor Lambridge turn on his heel and shout Alfred's name. Again, Alfred calls out another apology.

Seeing how I'll be stuck with this buffoon for the rest of the term, I let out a soft groan.

"Hey. Did you say something?"

I groan again. This is going to be a very, very long term.

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><p><strong>Author's Note/**

**Yay! Second chapter is up :D Please review!**


	3. Don't Call Me Artie!

Chapter three

**Alfred's POV**

I'm having a totally rockin' day. I'm making all my classmates laugh in my classes so far; I think I have a pretty good chance at being friends with them! Like in History class, the teacher asked me where Canada was.

"Alfred, please tell us where the country in question number 18 is located." The teacher pulls out a world map. After looking at the map for a while, I'm extremely confused. _It's so confusing! I can't find Canada anywhere! Umm…. I guess I'll point to some random country and hope for the best. _I stab my finger on a spot on the map. "THIS IS CANADA!"

"No, Alfred… that is the country Mexico." Laughter echoes around the room and I grin goofily up at them. "Please sit down."

I think this school is totally awesome, but they don't serve hamburgers at lunch, so that really sucks. So in the cafeteria I loudly complained how the school lunch sucks 'cause they don't have hamburgers and soda. I made everybody laugh in the cafeteria as well! I'm totally on a roll here. When I asked if I could sit next to some people, they laughed and said that their spot was taken by their friend. That's okay! I'll find somebody to sit next to! But nobody wanted to sit near me. I guessing they have a lot of friends, 'cause every time there was an empty seat they said that it was taken. As soon as I walk away I hear them whispering about something. They're probably talking about how awesome I am. So anyways, I'm just standing there, and then I see that really cool bad-ass guy.

"HEYA ARTIE!" I don't think he heard me coming because he nearly falls off his seat and drops his book.

"GIT. DON'T SNEAK UP ON ME LIKE THAT!" he looks pretty mad, and his face is all red. I shrug.

"Can I sit next to you? All the other seats are taken." Artie looks around and his eyebrows scrunch together. Whoa. His eyebrows.

"Duuuddeeee your eyebrows are huge!" I poke one of them experimentally.

"SHUT UP! I KNOW THAT." His eyes flash at me, and only then do I notice that he has the most brilliant green eyes I've ever seen. They remind me of the color of the leaves of a forest I once went to over vacation. Looking down from the top of the mountain, the forest was miles and miles of the most awesome green ever. I guess I didn't notice his eyes at first before 'cause his piercings were so cool.

"Soooooo… can I sit with you?" I look at him expectantly.

"Fine. Just don't bother me." Artie picks his book up, and starts reading it again.

"Hey Artie…"

"Don't call me that! Call me Arthur."

"Okay! Heya Arthur, I'm Alfred. I didn't really get to talk to you much during Mr. Lambridge's class. Nice to meet'cha!" I stick out my hand for him to shake. He looks at it, and then shakes it primly.

"So I've heard. My name is Arthur Kirkland. It's…nice to meet you too. If you don't mind, I'd like to continue reading my book."

"Oh! Sure thing." I pick at my food and we sit in silence until the bell chimes.

"I'll see'ya around Arti—Arthur!" He glares at me for a moment.

"Yeah. Bye." He turns on his heel and walks away. I grin and fist pump. I think that he's gonna be my friend! AWESOME.

* * *

><p><strong>Arthur's POV<strong>

That git completely pisses me off at lunch, and afterwards I cross my fingers and hope that he's not in the rest of my classes. Lady Luck isn't on my side and unfortunately, he is. He keeps irritating me by insisting we become "partners" in anything we do and laughing his obnoxious laugh. It takes everything I have not to punch him in his face.

School's over, finally, and I make my way over to the record store where I work. I punch in, and sit behind the counter waiting for the rare customer to come in. Business is usually pretty slow around this time, so I take my time going around the shop, putting the CD's back, reorganizing everything, and cleaning up; the usual stuff. The phone rings and I mosey over to it and pick up.

"Harry's Music and Record Shop, how may I help you?"

"Artie! Artie come home right now!" It's my brother. His tone of voice really concerns me; he sounds worried. Wait, did he just call me "Artie"?

"Scott? Is there something wrong?"

"Yeah! It's about mum. You need to come home now! The doctor's here."

"Shit. I'll be over as soon as I can." I find my boss, who happens to be sleeping on a stack of magazines. Waking him, I tell him of my situation at home, and he lets me get off early. I run as fast as I can and when I burst through the door to my mum's bedroom, I see the doctor and my three other brothers hovering over her. The doctor is checking her pulse and talking into his phone.

"What's going on in here?"

"Mum has the flu, and she needs to be hospitalized. It's really, really bad."

_Oh no. This can't be happening…_

"They say that she needs to stay there until she's completely better, and we don't know how long she'll stay in the hospital. In the meantime, we have to work to pay for her bills." The doctor hangs up his phone and assures us that he will take her to the hospital. Scott carries her down the stairs and into his car, and we watch him drive away. We stand there numbly for a few moments before I ask, "Now what?"

"Since you're the smart one who gets all his homework done right when he gets home, I think you can handle some extra shifts at that record store. Since we aren't as efficient as you, we'll keep working our current shifts."

"Wait, why do I have to work extra! What the hell! You guys think that just because I'm smarter than all of you combined, I have to work _extra_ hard so that you can loaf off? That's bloody unfair of you!" I feel an angry blush spread across my face.

"Don't you want mum to get better or not?" Damn. He really knows how to get to me. I clench my fists, and force myself to calm down. Scott notices this, and stands there smugly. _That damn bastard. I hate them all._

"_Assholes_" I growl under my breath, "Fine. FINE. You win, alright?" I stand there seething for a few moments before walking back to the record shop. I explain the situation to my boss, and he lets me sign up for extra shifts. That means I won't get home until 11 at night while my brothers get home at 8. It's so fucking unfair, but I can't do anything about it. Mum _has_ to get better, no matter what.

* * *

><p><strong>Alfred's POV<strong>

I fire up my computer, and stare dumbly at the screen. The cursor hovers over the "Sign in" button of my instant messaging account. I hesitate, because I don't know if I want to talk to Kristina right now. I feel like I should, 'cause I haven't talked to her since I left the States. Sighing, I click it anyways, and as soon as Kristina notices I'm online, she pounces on me.

_**K: **__Aaaalllffieeeee bearr I missed uuuuu~~~~ 3 3_

_**A: **__Hey Krissy :D_

_**K: **__When r u coming home Alfieeee I miss uuuu~~~_

_**A: **__I dunno… probably not in a while :( _

_**K:**__ Awwwww Alfieee I miss u so much~~~ /3_

_**A:**_ _I know Krissy. As soon as I get the chance I'll come see you okay? :)_

_**K:**__ Okaayyyyy :3 I luv u so much my Alfie bearrrr~~~_

_**K:**__ How's England? Do u lyke it their?_

_**A: **__It's pretty cool! It rains all the time tho :( _

_**K:**__ MayB u culd tak me they're sumday 3_

_**A: **__Sure that would be nice :D_

_**K:**__ Yaayyyyyyy~ 3 I luv u sooooo much!_

_**A:**__ Ily too_

_**K: **__:3~~~ 3_

_**A: **__3_

_-5 minutes later-_

_**K:**__ heyyy Alfieee~~~?_

_**A: **__yeaahhh?_

_**K:**__ When u get bak, imma give you a really nice welcome ;)_

_**A:**__ What kind of welcome? Does it involve burgers? :D_

_**K:**__ Noooo not burgers… ;)_

_**A:**__ D: then what kind of welcome?_

_**K:**__ let's hug….specially ;)_

_**A: **__Okay! I'll give you an extra EXTRA big hug when I get back :D_

_**K:**__ …._

_**K:**__ Noooo… I want u sooo much Alfie, u haf no idea ;)_

_**K:**__ I wanna show u how much I want u… in bed ;)_

_**A:**__ Oh thanks… I um….gtg now D:_

_**K: **__Nooooo Allffiieeeeeeee don't goooooo~~~_

_**A: **__i dun wanna go either, but I have hw and stuff_

_**K: **__Awwwwww okkkieee :( _

_**K: **__Ttyl~~~ ily Alfie bearrrrr 3 3 3 3 miss uuuuuuuu_

_**A: **__ttyl! Ily2_

_-Alfred is now offline-_

Sighing, I exit out of instant messaging. I don't know if I really like her anymore. My relationships always end up like this; I would think that a girl was pretty, and they were more than willing to go out with me. I mean, who can't resist the awesome me? We would last about two months, then I would break up with them 'cause I didn't really like them anymore, and wash, rinse and repeat. My football buddies would always congratulate me for being a "man" and that I should go "get some". The sound of the front door opening interrupts my thoughts.

"Hey Liz!"

"Hello Alfred! How did school go today?"

"I think it went pretty well! I made a new friend today."

"Great! I knew that you would have no problem with moving here; you fit right in." She smiles, and she begins preparing dinner in the kitchen while I get started on homework. I'm really confused about all this stuff, so I BS most of it, and play computer games until dinner. I astound Liz with the amount of food I eat, and later I chat with my football buddies. Kristina's offline, so they joke around, asking if I "got any" from Kristina before I left, and in return I ask them how our school's football team is doing.

They say without me, the star quarterback, the team is failing miserably, and they keep losing 40-0 every single game. I seriously want to go back to be the hero of the team, and lead them to the championships. I fantasize about that. My parents would be sitting on the bleachers along with my fans, and they'll cheer my name as I make a touchdown, winning the championship game. They'll hug me, and cry and promise to never send me off ever again.

_Alfred, we're so sorry! We'll never send you off again!_

_Alfred! You're the best!_

_Yeah man! You're our hero!_

_WE LOVE YOU ALFRED!_

I return back to reality and I notice that while I was dreaming, my buds have carried on an entire discussion about football. It's already pretty late, so I sign off, and flop onto my bed. My mind drifts back to Kristina, and my ex-girlfriends. I feel as if I'm leading Kristina on, and I don't want to hurt her. What really troubles me is that in retrospect, I never had an attachment to any of the girls I dated. _Argh! This is too confusing! Whatever. I'm going to sleep._

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><p>Author's Note/

yay! new chapter is up! sorry it took such a long time...

England's brothers are Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. haha. "Scott" for "Scotland"

I have to thank my friend for helping me go over this :D thank you!

again, please review!

_I don't own Hetalia or it's respective characters. they belong to their creator Hidekaz Himaruya_ .


	4. Music

**Alfred's POV**

I'm keeping up all the good work I've been doing so far, and I'm making more and more people laugh! I think that's a good sign. I made lots of friends back in America this way, so I guess it should be the same here. Anyways, I make it to lunch, and find Arthur again. He's sitting in his corner all alone, and he's furiously doing something while listening to his mp3 player. I don't know if he does this all the time, because he didn't have his mp3 out yesterday.

"HEYA ARTHUR! WHAT'S UP?" He doesn't hear me, and this time I tap his head. He spins around, glares at me and rips off his ear buds. "What do you want?"

"Can I sit with you again? All the other seats are taken!" I grin, and plop myself down beside him without waiting for his answer. Arthur sighs, then replaces his ear buds and goes back to doing his homework.

"What songs do you have on your mp3? Can I see? Can I see?" I poke him in his arm over and over until he gives a response.

"What." It comes out as a snarl.

"Whoa there buddy, I just wanted to see what's on your mp3. Why so grumpy?"

"If you should know, I was working until eleven-fucking-o'clock last night then stayed up until bloody two in the morning finishing the rest of my homework. So yes, you could say I'm a little grumpy."

"I'm sorry…" He looks tired and I see that he's working on his homework, but I really want to talk to him more. "Is it really busy at work?"

"No, not usually, but yesterday we got a lot of customers flocking to get the new CD from _The Crusade_. They left a horrendous mess, and I had to clean it up."

"Huuhhh? What's a _Crusade_?"

"The most damn fantastic band out there. The lyrics are amazing, and the guitarist and singer are brilliant. I can't believe you haven't heard of them. What kind of rubbish do you listen to?" He snorts and then continues writing.

"Hey! American music is awesome as well! Especially the rap music."

Arthur scoffs. "Really. Most of it consists of the same clichéd topics, like heartbreak or love, and rapping is just talking to a beat."

I pout. "Not fair. Not all American songs are bad."

"Which is why I said 'most'."

"Okay…"

We get into a really heated discussion about music, what kind is better, and why Arthur thinks American music sucks. I don't agree with him at all; I think it's awesome! We compare music on our mp3 players, and before we know it, it's the end of lunch. Arthur panics and tries to scribble more on his homework.

"Bloody hell! I was going to finish this at lunch!" He frantically stuffs his books and papers into his backpack. I look on with an amused expression on my face.

"If work isn't so busy, why don't you work on homework there?"

"Because as long as we still have _The Crusade _CD's still in stock, there's going to be a mad rush to buy all of them!" He starts out the door.

"Hey wait up! Do you wanna walk to class together?"

"It's _want to, _you idiot, and fine. You're going to tag along anyways." Happily, I walk beside him still talking about how American music is awesome all the way to class.

* * *

><p><strong>Arthur's POV<strong>

His energy is infectious, and I find that although my mood is still pretty bad, it wasn't as bad as it was before. We get to class seconds before the bell rings, and I slide into my seat quickly to avoid getting into trouble. Alfred however, is taking his own sweet time getting to his seat with that confident swagger of his.

_Who does he think he is? _

_Look at him go. He thinks he owns this place._

_How ridiculous. Look at that strut of his._

_Ugh. He's so…obnoxious. I'd keep my distance if I were you. Don't want to associate with that lot._

Whispers and mutterings ripple across the room, how Alfred is dumb jock, how Alfred is too loud, how Alfred's too strange for this environment. Alfred must be deaf as well, seeing how none of his classmate's comments are having an effect on him. Flashing that million-watt smile in my direction, he sits down and props his feet on the chair in front of him. The teacher glares at Alfred for a moment before starting the lesson.

As it turns out, we're doing a laboratory assignment involving chemicals, and immediately everybody partners up, leaving Alfred and I the only people who weren't chosen. I've always been the "outsider", the "awkward punk kid" of the lot, and nobody would want to be around with me. Except for Alfred apparently. My eye twitches in annoyance as he approaches me with a broad grin upon his face.

"Hey! It sure looks like we're the only people left. Wanna be partners?"

"Er…sure..."

"AWESOME!"

I cringe. "Try not to be so loud." _Why the hell am I giving him advice?_

Alfred whines, "Why not? I'm always like this!"

Rolling my eyes, I take off my blazer and don an apron. Watching me, Alfred does the same, and I blush under such scrutiny.

"G-git! Don't stare at me like that!"

"Hey, you're funny when your face turns red like that." Alfred laughs then reaches to pick up a test tube with his hands. Rushing to the rescue, I pluck the tube away before he has a chance to touch it.

"Idiot! This is hydrochloric acid! If you get any on you, your skin will burn."

"Dude! This stuff is totally cool. I can burn up bad guys with this!"

"That's impossible. Get out your fucking pencil and start writing the bloody reaction times down."

"MR. KIRKLAND, MIND YOUR LANGUAGE."

At the end of the lesson the professor announces that we will be doing an extensive report of the experiment with our partners, meaning that I will be stuck with Alfred for a couple more weeks. Alfred is thoroughly excited with the idea of "hanging out with a cool badass dude" as he puts it. I'm not as thrilled with the prospect of working with this hyperactive idiot though. I'll need to ask my boss for time off so I can do this report; I hope those assholes of my brothers are pulling their weight paying the bills.

_My dear, _Precious _ JOURNAL,_

_Again, that bumbling git completely embarrassed himself in front of his classmates, but his energy is infectious. It doesn't mean that we're friends though! Bloody hell, we're only acquaintances at the most. I've only known him for a day. He still fucking irritates me though. The git never stops talking about hamburgers and rap._

_Why the hell am I still writing in this stupid thing?_

* * *

><p><strong>Alfred's POV<strong>

I zip through my homework, mindlessly writing down answers while listening to songs from _The Crusade_ on the internet. They're really good, just as Arthur said, but I still think American music is the best. I don't feel like talking to Kristina today, so I completely ignore the _ping_s of her messages. When I'm finally done, I look over my answers and wince. My answers are _horrible_.

Since I'm working with Arthur, I don't think I can BS as much stuff as I used to before, so I go back and really work through all my answers. He's pretty cool; I don't wanna let him down because he'll be pissed at me and be all grumpy again.

By the time I'm through with half the worksheet Liz is home and making dinner. She pops her head into my room once or twice, but I'm so immersed in my work that I don't even notice until she bangs on my door.

"Alfred! It's time to eat. I've prepared extra in case you're still hungry afterwards, and I've prepared A LOT this time." She chuckles, and I follow her into the dining room.

"BURGERS!" I squeal with excitement at the sight of those beautiful meat patties.

"I thought that I would make you one of your favorite foods seeing how you've just moved here. So, here's a celebration to Alfred and his life in Britain!" We toast cups of soda and I scarf down all the burgers I can eat. Liz was right; she DID make a lot, which is fortunate, because there are no left overs by the time I'm finished.

"Alfred, the amount you eat will never cease to amaze me." I laugh, and when we're done with the dishes, I head back to my room to finish the rest of my homework. A couple hours later I check the clock and see that it's nearly 8. There's still some light out, and I haven't been able to walk around and go sightseeing.

"Hey Liz, do you mind if I walk around town for a little bit?"

"Is your homework finished?"

"Yes!"

"I don't mind. But take my phone with you just in case. If you get lost I can pick you up, and make sure to be back by 10. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am!" I give her a salute and she tosses me her phone. With a final wave I open the door and walk out into the street.

* * *

><p>Author's Note/

Chapter four is finally up! I hope you all like it :D

I don't have anything against American music, but sometimes it's a little tiring to hear the same song played over and over again on the radio...

_I don't own Hetalia or it's respective characters. they belong to their creator Hidekaz Himaruya_ .


	5. Coincidence

**Alfred's POV**

I whistle happily as I stroll down the street, window shopping and just looking around. The town is pretty lively at night; music blasts from nightclubs and the traffic is pretty heavy. Neon lights advertise restaurants, liquor stores, and businesses waiting for their next customer. A number of different smells greet me; cigarette smoke, the aroma of food from restaurants, car exhaust… it might be overwhelming to some people, but I feel perfectly at ease. The sights, sells and sounds remind me of my home back in New York City, and I feel a wave of nostalgia wash over me. Shaking the feeling off, I continue my explorations of my new home.

A little further down the street I spy a crowd of people waiting in front of a music store. They all seem to be excited about something.

"Soo…. What's the big deal here?" I ask several people.

"_The Crusade_ CD is finally out! I can't wait to listen to their new album."

"Ugh, I've waited _hours_ in line for the CD… I wish they'd hurry up."

After pushing through the crowd and explaining that I'm not here for the CD, I enter the store and am greeted with bookshelf upon bookshelf of CD's and records, some having headphones attached, and posters of bands plastered all over the walls. The crowd of people surrounds the counter, and I can see the cashier struggling to process as many customers as possible. I wander around the store, taking my time to browse the shelves, occasionally listening to the music. A while later I have a small stack of CD's in my hand and I make my way towards the counter. A second register has been set up, and the crowd is so thick that the register is hidden behind the sea of heads. When it's finally my turn, I lay the CD's on the counter and take out my wallet. The cashier's head is bowed, looking through the CD's and scanning them.

"That will be £9.50." His voice sounds really familiar.

"Arthur?" He looks at me, turns red and sputters out, "What…What are you doing here? How did you know I work here?"

I grin at him. "I didn't . I saw the huge mob of people in front of the store and decided to come in."

"Oh…"

"Hey, when does your shift end?"

"In two hours, and _please_ move out of the say so I can get to the other customers." I pay, and sidestep away from the line. It mutters irritably.

"Two hours? But that's at 11! That's so late!"

"I KNOW. Just shut up, okay? Let me do my job." He starts dealing with the next customer.

"Sorry…" But I can't shut up. "Why are you working so hard?"

"None of your business."

"Why not?"

"I _said_, none of your business." Arthur glares at me.

"Please?"

"NO!" That gets the attention of his manager at the other register.

"Arthur, is there a problem?"

"No sir, none at all." Arthur glares at me again.

"Then please don't yell at our customers." The manager turns back to ringing up the other patrons and Arthur closes his eyes to collect himself.

"Alfred, I really need to do my job. I'll see you tomorrow at school." Again, he tries to deal with the next person, but I interrupt again.

"Awwww," I whine "But talking to you is fun!" He looks a little taken aback, and he hesitates a little before continuing his work, his face a little pink.

"R-really…?" He runs his fingers through his hair. "Alright, fine. After my shift is done we can talk…I guess."

"AWESOME."

A grumpy voice calls from near the back of the line, "OI. THERE ARE PEOPLE WAITING IN LINE TO PAY." The rest mutter in agreement.

"Wait…I have to get home by 10…" I remember Liz's words and disappointment is evident on my face. I was really looking forward to getting to know Arthur better. "Sorry…"

Arthur snorts. "That's fine. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah! See 'ya tomorrow!" I wave and walk away.

"Finally." The person next in line grumbles.

* * *

><p><strong>Arthur's POV<strong>

It was a huge surprise seeing Alfred at Harry's and I know that he'll come by to visit whenever he has the chance. The idiot will want to talk to me all the time and keep me from working. Still… he said that talking to me was "fun". I mull over this as I sweep the store. Nobody was ever willing to talk to me, let alone be near me. Then Alfred showed up. It has only been two days and he already regards me as his best mate, probably because he has no one else who is willing to be friends with him…dammit! What am I thinking? I'm not his friend. We're merely acquaintances.

"So Arthur…Who was that boy earlier?" My manager's voice snaps me back to reality.

"Huh? Which boy?"

"Oh. The one with glasses and that funny bit of hair sticking up…" _Oh._

"Do you mean Alfred?"

"Sure, Alfred… Are you friends? You don't seem to have many."

I think for a little. "No. More like acquaintances."

"Hm… I see. Is he from around here? He has an accent."

"No, he moved from America. We go to the same school."

"I see I see… Well, you've done a pretty good job these few days. I'll let you off early,"

I breathe a sigh of relief. "Thank you so much sir." I finish sweeping and gather my belongings.

"Have a good night Arthur."

"Thank you. Have a good night as well sir."

I really needed that extra time off. I have the assignments I meant to do at lunch as well as the assignments our teachers gave us after lunch. I work diligently, the hours ticking away and the stack of work decreasing considerably. I'm only interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Hey Artie!" A singsong voice calls from the other side of the door.

"Don't call me that, you prick. What do you want?"

"Weeeeelll, I was _really_ busy at work today. Could you do a few homework assignments for me?" Scott opens the door and casually leans against the doorframe.

"Absolutely NOT. I was busier at work than you were. Do it yourself."

Aww Artie, why do you always have to have a stick up your ass? Do something nice fore me once in a while."

"I will, once you, Hugo, and Barney stop bloody picking on me all the time."

"That's just some friendly brotherly love. So, will you do my assignments?"

"My answer is still no. Shove off." I go back to working again. Scott gives a dramatic sigh.

"If you're not willing to help me… I guess I'd have to tell the school about your 'secret'." I can hear him smiling from the doorway. My jaw drops and I can feel my ears turn red.

"What are you talking about?" I decide to play it cool, but panic seeps into every cell in my being. _How did he know?_

"You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about." Scott smirks. "I'm not as dumb as you think I am. Will you do my homework or not?"

"I-I…" I can't even string together a sentence. He _knows_.

"Fine. I'll be telling the school about you then. Seems like you're not going to help me out at all." Scott pushes himself off the doorframe and starts to leave.

"Y-you wouldn't!" I stammer, stumbling out of my chair to grab his shirt. He arches an eyebrow.

"I would."

"I'm your brother!"

"Doesn't make a difference to me." I open my mouth, but no sound comes out. I let go of his shirt in defeat.

"Fine…give me the fucking assignments…" Scott grins and ruffles my hair.

"There's a good lad. Drop them off at my room when you're done." He hands me his papers and saunters away.

The paper in my hand trembles; my hands are shaking because of rage and horror. My mint bunny and friends quietly retreat to a corner, leaving me alone. I don't want any company right now. I want to scream, to trash my room, to destroy something.

I hate my brothers. I hate my situation. I hate Scott. And most of all, I hate myself.

* * *

><p><strong>Alfred's POV<strong>

Arthur seems more exhausted than he was yesterday; his face is haggard, he walks with a shuffle, and he falls asleep whenever he sits down for more than 10 seconds. At lunch I poke him out of his nap.

"Hey Arthur. Aren't you hungry or something?" Arthur gives me a weak glare before going back to sleep again.

"Arthur?" He waves me away passively. I poke him again.

"Was work really that bad?" He mumbles something in reply.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Then what's wrong?"

"Stupid fucking brother…Hate his guts…"

"What'd he do to you?"

"…stop asking so many questions…"But I won't give up so easily; I can't help but worry about him.

"But you're my friend right? So why won't you open up to me?" Arthur twitches,

"We've only known each other for three days." He picks his head off the table and looks at me.

I pout. "That's long enough for me!" He sighs,

"I'm too tired to deal with this now. Leave me alone; I'm not going to spill my guts to someone I've only just met." His head plops down again, and soon he's fast asleep.

Arthur doesn't even wake up when the bell rings, and I have to shake him out of his stupor to drag him off to science.

Today is the last day for working in the lab, and I take extra care in recording the results and mixing the chemicals because Arthur seems so out of it that he almost created an explosion. I snatch away the test tubes and grin at him.

"Let the hero do the work!"

Arthur mumbles something incoherently, struggling to stay awake and failing miserably. Seeing him in this state makes me feel really bad; a hero is supposed to save people right? But I can't do anything to help Arthur, and it doesn't sit right with me.

The teacher is walking around the stations, examining results and telling off students who are goofing off. I notice her when she's only a station away.

"Arthur! Wake up!" I hiss, shaking his shoulder. He's unresponsive and his head lolls from side to side.

"Artie!"

"Don't…call me that…"

"Wake up!" I whisper furiously and the teacher reaches our station and frowns at Arthur.

"Mr. Kirkland, why is your notebook blank?"

Arthur blushes. "I-I…"

I barge in. "Don't worry! He's been writing in mine!" I proudly show her my notebook. She skims it.

"Hm… I see. This seems in order. However, write in your own notebook next time Mr. Kirkland. What if Mr. Jones here lost his notes? Then you would have nothing to work with. What would you do then?" She turns on her heel and walks off to the next table.

"Thanks." Arthur murmurs.

I flash a wide smile at him. "No problem! Anything for a friend; I am the hero after all!"

He snorts. "I'm not your—" The bell rings, and the whole class hurries to pack up and go.

"See 'ya later Arthur!" I run out the door.

"—friend."

* * *

><p>Author's note/  
>I feel that I'm being unfair to Arthur, since the format is Alfred-Arthur-Alfred. Oh well, I'll stick with being consistent. I must also thank my friend for editing this ^^;;<p>

Again, please review!

_I don't own Hetalia or it's respective characters. they belong to their creator Hidekaz Himaruya_ .


	6. Flashback

**Alfred's POV**

Arthur's condition has been getting worse and worse. He literally resembles one of those zombies in my video games; he has rings under his eyes, walks with a shuffle, and only gives grunts or one word replies for answers.

"Arthur, are you sure there's nothing I can do?" I ask him between classes one day. He eyes me and grunts.

"Come on, I need a little more than an 'ungh' for an answer!" I swing an arm across his shoulders and Arthur collapses under its weight.

"Whoa dude! I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to do that!" I haul Arthur back to his feet and he fixes me with a death glare. Combined with his undead appearance, it's scary enough to give me nightmares for several nights. He begins walking at a slightly faster pace but I catch up to him easily.

I walk in front of Arthur and stop him in his tracks. "Arthur. Why won't you tell me what's wrong?"

"Why do you fucking care, git?" Arthur spits out. He trys to get around me but I don't let him pass.

"Because you're my friend!"

"No, I'm not."

I insist stubbornly, "To me you are. You're my only friend here, and I think you're really cool and awesome." I've caught Arthur off-guard and I notice his ears turning pink.

"Nobody's ever said that to me before." he mumbles, and I'm genuinely surprised.

"Really? Why not? You're a really nice guy."

"People don't want to associate with me, nice or not."

"Whhhyyyyyy?"

"I don't like people, people don't like me. End of story."

"If you open up a little bit more, maybe people will get to know you and like you."

Arthur scoffs. "Opening up to people? That would make me vulnerable, and people will attack those vulnerabilities until you're a weeping, broken mess. I would rather not."

"Has that happened to you before?" I ask, and I notice that he looks a little pained for a moment.

"It isn't something I talk about."

"What did they do to you?" I can't imagine Arthur being hurt like that, and it makes me want to punch his tormentors.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Why not?"

He explodes. "ALFRED, WHEN I DON'T WANT TO FUCKING TALK ABOUT IT, I DON'T WANT TO FUCKING TALK ABOUT IT ALRIGHT?" His face is red, and when the color finally recedes from his face he turns and walks briskly away from me.

"Arthur! Wait up!"

"I'm going to class. Don't catch up."

"Arthur, you're going the wrong way!"

"WHAT?"

We have less than 2 minutes to get to our next class, and the professor is _anal_ about being late.

"I see no other option then…" I scoop him up, bridal style. He gives a surprised squawk and I run down the hall and Arthur pounds my chest angrily.

"Put me down! Put me down you fucking idiot! This is so degrading! How DARE you!"

I laugh. "Hey! We're having a real conversation!"

"FUCK YOU!"

I sprint down the hallways, twisting and turning while Arthur swears and pounds me. We finally reach our classroom and I set him down and we burst in just as the bell rings.

"I see that you've made it just in time, Mr. Jones and Mr. Kirkland." The professor glares sternly at us as we walk to our seats. After giving Arthur and me one last glare, he begins his lesson about equations.

While the professor drones on and on, I sneak a peek at Arthur. He's slumped in his seat, fast asleep with a line of drool dribbling down his chin. I turn around and actually pay attention for the rest of the lesson, remembering to take extra notes for Arthur seeing how he's in no state to take any himself. The bell startles Arthur out of his nap, and he looks at his damp, drool-covered blank notebook and panics.

"Oh shit—"

"Don't worry dude! I got you covered!" I rip out a page in my notebook and hand it to him. "I took notes for you." Arthur scans the paper and looks at me in awe.

"These…these are really good notes…"

"The hero saves the day again!" I laugh triumphantly, receiving several distasteful looks from my departing classmates. I merely wave at them.

"Thanks."

"No problem!" I grin at him, and we stand there for a few moments. Arthur finally clears his throat.

"Let's head to our next class…. I don't want you carrying me again…"

"Sure thing! Even though carrying you was a lot of fun."

"…fuck you."

* * *

><p><strong>Arthur's POV<strong>

The past several days have been a living hell for me; Scott now shoves all his homework on me and if I refuse, he threatens me with the same threat "I'll tell everyone about you". Not only that but he has also told Barney and Hugo about my service to him and now they're giving me _their_ homework too. I'm averaging an hour of sleep per night…sometimes less. I've been close to crying a few times, but Hugo, Barney, and Scott used to tease me viciously for being a crybaby so I've stopped crying altogether. If they heard me sobbing in my room I'd hear no end of it.

School is getting tougher. Now that the teachers have grown out of their warm, "welcome to school" attitudes, they are becoming stricter and they pile on more homework each night. Alfred tries conversing with me, but I hear little of whatever shit he's babbling about so I grunt or nod in reply. My answers seem to satisfy him though, until today. Alfred's whining about how I won't tell him why I'm so tired. I passively argue with him, brushing off his words until…

"To me you are. You're my only friend here, and I think that you're really cool and awesome." It's the first time that someone else other than Mum or my mint bunny has said that to me, and I'm caught off guard. I didn't expect a compliment from someone I've only known for less than a month. Then he starts asking me personal questions, questions that remind me of the incident in middle school. My chest begins to hurt, and I manage to hold back a breakdown. The memory is too painful for me to forget; my schoolmates and former friends taunting me, hitting me, spitting at me, and looking at me in disgust, like I'm the dirt on the bottom of their shoes. His concern for me is irritating. After I explode in his face, I calm down and walk in the other direction.

"Arthur! Wait up!"

I walk faster. "I'm going to class. Don't catch up."

"Arthur, you're going the wrong way!"

"WHAT?" I stop and spin around to look at the clock.

We have only two minutes to get to math class, which is at the other side of the school. Alfred doesn't seem to care; he shrugs and picks me up like a princess. Although I swear and hit him, he does get us to class on time. The professor glares and reprimands us, but he doesn't give Alfred and me detention. I walk to my seat with my head bowed and sit down, ignoring the whispers and looks of my classmates. Alfred, on the other hand, walks confidently beside me and gives everyone a huge grin before sitting behind me. I drift off to sleep, lulled by the monotonous buzz of the professor's voice. At the end of the class, I realize that I've taken no notes at all, but Alfred saves my ass by taking notes for me. I'm amazed by the level of detail of the notes. There are equations, diagrams, charts, side notes, and little helpful comments. I didn't expect such quality from an idiot like him; even though we started a whole new lesson and I fell asleep for the entire time, I understand what we're doing just by looking over the notes once. _Maybe he isn't so useless after all…_

Our next class is cooking. I don't think I'm that bad at cooking, but Hugo, Barney, and Scott complain that my scones resemble charcoal briquettes more than food. To hell with their opinions, I don't give a fuck about them. On the other hand, when I made mum breakfast in bed, she choked and said with tears in her eyes, "Arthur…your cooking is truly…interesting…" I don't want to poison her so I signed up for this class, hoping that I will learn how make better food.

The class is taught by an obnoxious Frenchman, Professor Bonnefoy. When we walk through the door he greets us over-enthusiastically.

"Welcome _mes chéris_, to another wonderful day learning how to cook with _moi_, _Professeur _Bonnefoy!" He winks at a cluster of girls, and they immediately blush and giggle. Disgusted, I ignore them and take a seat.

"Today we'll start off with something simple; chocolate chip cookies! When you're done making them, you can give them to a girl or boy as a token _de l'amour_. _Ah__doux__,__l'amour__des jeunes__!_" Professor Bonnefoy coos, waltzing around the room. He sits on the desk of a girl, and she blushes heavily. He brushes his long blonde hair aside and continues talking.

"The key ingredient in these cookies is _chocolat_. It is an aphrodisiac as well." He winks suggestively at this. "Handmade gifts are especially heartwarming; your _histoire d'amour_ will know that you spent time and effort into making these treats, and they simply cannot refuse!" With that, he hops off her desk, but not before blowing a kiss to her. She gasps and blushes even harder. I gnash my teeth; this perverted bastard is getting on my nerves. Professor Bonnefoy claps his hands.

"Everybody to your cooking stations! My instructions are on the blackboard, and I will come around _pour vous__aider_. Get started!"

The ingredients have already been laid out for us at our work stations, and Alfred starts mixing and measuring. Unsure, I keep glancing at the board, but even with the instructions my dough isn't the right consistency. I know that dough is supposed to be sticky, but I don't think that it's supposed to stick to the sides of the bowl like rubber cement. I add more water and milk, and I stir vigorously. It soon drains me of my strength; it's like mixing cement, and I don't want to ask Alfred or anybody else to help, so I struggle with the dough by myself. Finally, it's the right consistency, and I measure out dollops of dough on my baking pan. Professor Bonnefoy is flouncing around the room, tasting a little bit of dough from my classmates' mixing bowls, and giving suggestions. I notice how he lightly rests his hands on the shoulder and arms of the girls, and how all of them blush madly. He irritates me _so_ much. I crank the dial of my oven furiously and shove the pan inside. Professor Bonnefoy reaches the station Alfred and I are at, and he smiles at me.

"Wonderful! You are the first one finished, _ma__chère_!" He gently places a hand on my shoulder and I edge away from his touch.

I mutter, "Thanks." Professor Bonnefoy looks a little hurt by my rejection of his advances, but shrugs and moves onto Alfred.

Everyone is soon finished with their cookies, and we wait for them to finish baking. I use this time to do a little bit of the chemistry report with Alfred, but I don't talk to him at all unless necessary. There's a faint burning smell, but I guess it's the cookies baking. The timer sounds, and we head back to our ovens to check on our cookies. I pull mine out first, and I cringe at the sight of them. The cookies are burnt to a crisp, completely blackened, and give off a foul odor. Professor Bonnefoy comes over and crinkles his nose.

"_Mon dieu_, what went wrong?"

"I don't know," I growl, "I followed all the instructions!" He inspects the oven.

"Ah, I see the problem. The problem is, _ma__chère_, is that you have set the oven at 276 degrees Celsius instead of 148 degrees. Was there also a problem with the dough?"

"Yeah," Alfred pipes up, "I saw him mix it. It was more like cement than anything." Professor Bonnefoy sighs softly, looking sadly at my tray. "It always pains my heart to see food like this…"

I grumble and scrape the damned cookies into the rubbish bin. Alfred snatches one up before it tumbles into the bin and eats it, chewing thoughtfully.

"I think it isn't that bad… it's really crunchy. Lots of texture."

"Oh stop trying to make me feel better. I know it fucking tastes horrible…" I steal a glance at Alfred's cookies. They came out absolutely _gorgeous_. The aroma is so heavenly that it drives away the odor of my cooking. The cookies look so soft, so inviting, so delicious… my mouth begins to water.

"_Très__bonne_, Alfred! Very well done indeed!"

"'Didn't know you cooked." I mutter, and Alfred smiles sheepishly.

"Well, it comes naturally to me I think… it wouldn't be very manly of the star quarterback to be seen making cake, would it?"

"No… I suppose not…"

After the cookies have properly cooled we place them into brown bags to take home. Soon, Professor Bonnefoy has a heap of cookies on his desk courtesy of all the girls in the class. I am repulsed by his flirting with his students and I have the strong urge to pummel him in his perverted face. I don't know why girls like him; is it his long _girly_ blonde hair, _perverted_ blue eyes, or the _manly_ stubble on his chin that makes girls flock to him like geese? Everything about him disgusts me.

"Mmm! These cookies are really good! You want some too?" The final bell has rung and the other students are milling about at the gates, waiting to be picked up. Alfred and I are walking across the grounds and he offers the bag of cookies to me. Reluctantly, I take one.

"Hey you still aren't grumpy about cooking class right?"

"No. My cooking is always like this. I'm thinking about work."

Alfred groans. "Awwww you always think about work! Why don't you chill for a little bit?"

Indignant, I say, "I have far higher priorities than 'chilling out'. Some things are more important than having fun." I walk slightly faster, but Alfred catches up to me.

"Hey… did I piss you off or something?" I slow down. He's clearly worried about me.

"I'm sorry…" I sigh, and rub my temples. "It's just… my nerves are worn short by lack of sleep, work, and school."

"So…why are you working so hard anyways?"

"None of your business. Don't you ever quit asking this question?"

"Nope! I won't give up until you tell me!" He grins and pokes my cheek and I slap his hand away.

"Git." But I smile a little. I've realized Alfred can be quite entertaining sometimes. His sunny temperament can make somebody feel a little less moody at times.

"Hey! You smiled!" Alfred is quick to notice it, and I hide my smile by frowning.

"What are you talking about? I wasn't smiling, stop being stupid you idiot."

"Your denial makes you even guiltier you know."

"Shut up." I shove him, but it has no effect. Alfred laughs, then asks, "Soo… about the project… we can't finish it at this rate. Can you ask your manager for some time off?"

I chew my lip thoughtfully. "I could try… I've been working hard, so I'm pretty sure he'll let me take a week or two off."

"AWESOME. Your house or mine?"

"Yours." I reply at once. I don't want him to meet my brothers, especially Scott. Who knows what they'll tell him.

"But," I say, "This doesn't mean that we're friends. I'm merely your lab partner coming over to do a project." Alfred shrugs.

"Sure, whatever. I still consider you a friend you know, even if you don't feel the same way." I sputter intelligently and Alfred grins.

"Let's go talk to your manager, see if he's gonna let you or not."

* * *

><p>"You want time off? For how long?" My manager asks when Alfred and I approach him.<p>

"Just a week or so, long enough to finish my science report sir. When I return, I will work twice as hard."

"That won't be necessary. Take as much time off as you need. And go visit your mother if you haven't; she's probably getting awfully lonely." I stiffen, and Alfred shoots a look at me.

"Thank you very much sir." I'm eager to go, but Alfred asks, "What's wrong with his mom?" I groan silently to myself.

"I'll leave it to Arthur to tell you, but poor thing, her condition…"

"Okay. Thanks for letting Arthur have time off!" Mr. Harris, my manager, chuckles.

"Not a problem. Just work together and you can have your time off starting next time."

"Again, thank you for very much sir!" I hurry to the back room to drop my backpack and change into my uniform. When I re-emerge, Mr. Harris and Alfred are deep in conversation.

"—moved from New York City and I was the quarterback of my school's football team. I was born here in England though, but I moved to the States when I was a year old."

"I see. How is it in New York?"

"Where I lived in there were lots of skyscrapers, concrete, and pavement obviously. I hardly ever saw any green unless it was Central Park. There was a lot to do there, kind of like here."

"Do you miss it?"

"Yeah, sometimes. But I like it here, and I've made a new friend, so everything's good." They hear me come out of the room and turn around.

"Heya Arthur! Can I stay a while?" Alfred beams happily at me.

"Yeah sure, but there since isn't going to be a lot of customers today I'll be doing homework, so nothing interesting."

"That's cool, I can talk to you at least! Oh oh! We could also do homework together!"

"Whatever." I try to reach a box on top of a bookshelf, but I'm too short. Alfred comes up from behind and reaches around me and grabs the box for me. He comes very close to me, so close that I can feel the heat radiate from his skin.

"Here 'ya go! Are you okay? Your face is red." _Oh shit._

"It's nothing. I'm perfectly alright." I turn on my heel and hurry towards the storage room clutching the box of old records.

* * *

><p><strong>Alfred's POV<strong>

Arthur has never told me anything about his family, so I was interested when his manager mentioned his mom. After calling Liz and assuring her that my homework was finished, I stay for Arthur's entire shift. Now that all of _The Crusade_ CD's are sold, there's only three other people in the store. After Arthur and his manager close up the store, Arthur and I depart and I bring up the subject of his mom.

"Is your mom okay?"

"She's fine." But as he says this his ears turn red and he fiddles with his bag.

"You're a really bad liar, you know?"

After a while, Arthur suddenly speaks.

"She's sick."

"Who? Your mom?"

"Who else?" he sighs. "She's got the flu and she's in the hospital. My brothers and I are working to pay her hospital bills, insurance, and our rent." Arthur looks away from me and when he talks again, his voice breaks.

"I don't know how long she's going to stay hospitalized and if she's going to get better or not. Her health has always been bad, and since dad left…" He suddenly stops.

"I've said too much. Why am I telling you this in the first place?"

"It must be really hard, balancing work, school, and life at the same time." Arthur scoffs and ignores me.

"I'm really sorry about your mom…" He turns on me angrily.

"The last thing I need is _pity_. I don't need your pity. Your pity does NOTHING for me. I have no use for it. Keep it to yourself."

"What do you want me to do then? I can't stand here and watch you suffer; I'm a hero! Heroes save people in trouble."

"You don't need to do anything. Just be my partner for this assignment and that's all the help I need."

"Are you sure?" That doesn't seem very helpful to me.

"Dammit Alfred, stop being so concerned about me! I can handle this myself."

"But you're my friend…" I pout, and Arthur rolls his eyes and snorts.

"Whatever. My house is in that direction. I'll see you tomorrow." With that, he walks down the street and disappears from sight.

As I lay in bed, I think about what kind of a person Arthur is. He's like… a coconut. All hard and tough on the outside, but inside he was just a kid who really cared about his mom. I wonder how my own parents are doing…probably really well. Dad would be sitting in his chair happily dreaming of his son going to Harvard upon his return, graduating _au cum laude_ and getting a job as a lawyer at some big firm and being rich and successful. Mom would support anything dad says, if she thinks otherwise he will find a way to "convince her". Such was the case when they told me I was going to be moving here.

"_Hey mom hey dad, I'm home!" I was back from football practice and I dumped my bag in the foyer. I wiped the sweat off my forehead with my shirtsleeve and grinned at them._

"_Hey son." Usually I'm totally incapable of reading the atmosphere, but that day it felt tense, strained. _

"_So what's up?"_

"_Your mother and I have noticed that your grades are dropping…" I groaned._

"_Dad, is this the grade thing again? I keep telling you that I'm working really hard!"_

"_Son, I don't think that you're working hard enough. Your mother and I have decided the best option is for you is to move to England." My jaw and heart dropped in disbelief._

"_WHAT? ARE YOU SERIOUS?"_

"_I'm dead serious. Your Aunt Elizabeth mentioned a while ago that the education in England is very good. I've decided that it's the thing you need to get your grades back on track. You won't have a problem moving to England since you're considered a citizen there."_

"_But what about my friends? Kristina? The football team! Stuyvesant won't make it to state without me!"_

"_Son, if your grades aren't good then you won't get into a good college and if you don't get a good education then you'll in trouble when you're trying to find work and competing against Ivy League graduates."_

"_I don't believe this." I sank into a chair._

"_Your father and I love you very much and we want the best for you. Please try to understand our decision. I was a little unsure at first, but your father convinced me that this is the best way." My mom was almost in tears. So that was what they were arguing about a few days earlier._

"_Oh Al, I love you so much, and I don't want to let you go, but it's for your own good." She continued and hugged me, and I returned the hug half-heartedly._

"_You can always make new friends in England. You can still talk to your friends here too." She tried to soothe me while my dad stood on the opposite side of the room stoically. I saw no point in arguing and my stubbornness was no use._

"_Whatever. Fine. I'll move to England, if it makes you happy. It's not like I have a choice in this."_

_My dad's eyes flash angrily. "Now see here young man…" But I won't. Although I had no choice in moving, I put in a few words of my own._

"_No dad, I won't 'see here.' Why do you go deciding something like that for me without asking me? You're telling me to give up my friends, my girlfriend, and my dream of taking the team to nationals. Why should I 'see here'? Am I being unreasonable? I don't have to go to an Ivy League school to succeed! Why is everything about grades for you? Grades aren't everything!" I ran to my room and slammed and locked the door. He pounded on the door, demanding that I open up the "God dammed door". He went on to say that I was unreasonable, that this was for my own good, that I didn't appreciate anything they did for me, that my stubbornness will be the death of me. On the other side of the door I was curled up on my bed silently fuming._

"_ALFRED, YOU OPEN UP THE FUCKING DOOR RIGHT NOW OR I WILL KICK IT IN."_

"_Michael! Don't curse in front of him!" My mom implored, and I easily imagined her outside clutching at him while he foamed at the mouth. But I did exactly what he said, and interrupted him in mid-rant._

"_When do I leave?"_

I open up my eyes, and the memory ends. Maybe my mother was right; things were going to be okay over here.

* * *

><p>Author's note/

Hello! Sorry for not updating in a long time...I didn't get a chance to work on this over vacation. But now i'm back, and I hope that this makes up for it ^^

Yay! France makes an entrance as the perverted cooking teacher XD haha

Please review ^^ Thank you~

_I don't own Hetalia or it's respective characters. they belong to their creator Hidekaz Himaruya_ .


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